Alongside the rest of society, the culinary world is constantly changing, moving and growing. Once restricted to traditional platforms such as cookbooks and TV, the culinary world has shifted to the internet, especially on YouTube. Chefs and novices alike are welcome to upload any form of cooking content they enjoy making, creating the perfect setup for a vast catalog of food-based YouTube channels to choose from. Like many college students, I know little about cooking other than basics that’ll keep me alive. To improve my culinary skills, I began searching for people on YouTube who create well-produced cooking content that is easy to follow to guide me through the kitchen.
Usually the only time I have to enjoy my favorite channels is at the end of the day, so I have been on the lookout for channels that are calming and educational. Listed below are some of my favorites that are perfect for helping to wind down after a long day.
1. Nino’s Home
Nino’s Home is essentially everything anyone wants in a YouTube channel: fun recipes, witty humor, and an adorable cat. Though Nino doesn’t speak or reveal his face, his personality shines through in the hilarious quips in his captions explaining the recipe he’s demonstrating. Nino’s Home features a variety of recipes and cooking styles such as street food, traditional recipes and interesting drinks. For anyone looking for ASMR cooking sounds and witty jokes, Nino’s Home is the perfect channel for you.
2. Simply Mamá Cooks
When looking for a thorough tutorial for a kitchen staple, look no further than Simply Mamá Cooks. Angelica, the woman behind the channel, is a super helpful resource for a cooking novice. She talks you through the recipe in great detail without overcomplicating the steps. She has a very warm demeanor and her videos are a perfect way to get ahead on some ideas for tomorrow’s meals. As someone looking to improve her cooking skills, I have looked to Angelica’s channel for advice and ideas more times than I can count — and her videos have helped every time. Her guidance can definitely be a great tool for anyone looking to start cooking with confidence.
3. Peaceful Cuisine
Just like their name states, Peaceful Cuisine is peaceful and serene. Like Nino’s Home, the hands behind Peaceful Cuisine are a mystery, but you still manage to feel every bit of the host’s dedication to their craft. Throughout the channel you will see videos listed as “ASMR” or “no music,” which basically identifies the videos as either recipe demos accompanied only by the sounds of cooking, or ones featuring ambient background music — which can be extremely helpful for those who enjoy ASMR content. Peaceful Cuisine features a variety of recipes from equipment demos, full meals, beverages, desserts and kitchen tips. All in all, Peaceful Cuisine is a helpful resource for both calming videos and cooking advice.
4. Veggiekins
Looking to up your vegan recipes game? Remy, also known as Veggiekins, has got you covered. Remy offers a great variety of vegan cooking, beverages and holistic living tips perfect for anyone looking to switch to a healthier lifestyle. I found her channel while I was looking for recipes for matcha tea drinks and have been hooked ever since. The majority of her recipes are vegan, plant-based and gluten-free while also being simple and easy to follow. Remy has a very wholesome, welcoming presence and watching her channel feels like exchanging healthy eating advice with an old friend. In addition to her YouTube channel, she also has a blog where she posts her recipes and other neat lifestyle tips.
5. Sohla El Waylly (Babish Culinary Universe / Stump Sohla series)
If you’re into more upbeat, extremely dynamic videos, then I highly recommend Sohla El-Waylly’s series on the Binging With Babish YouTube channel. Despite her departure from Bon Appetit, there has been no shortage of brilliant culinary work from the highly-experienced chef. Binging With Babish creator Andrew Rea and El-Waylly partnered together to create “Stump Sohla,” the newest addition to the Babish Culinary Universe. In this series, Sohla is tasked with otherworldly culinary challenges that test her culinary skills. Though not all of the recipes are intended for home cooks looking for a quick fix for dinner, they are incredibly fascinating to watch as Sohla puts her skills and imagination to the test to make creations that stretch the limits of the culinary world.
6. Julien Solamita
Longtime YouTube creator Julien Solamita has spent years crafting a huge assortment of cooking content and honing his unique style of vegan cooking. In his series titled “Aries Kitchen,” Solamita guides viewers through interesting recipes with hilarious jokes along the way. His content is extremely innovative and refreshing as Solamita uses a cinematic style in his production. A great example of this is a video he created of him cooking pad thai in the desert. Definitely something I had never seen before, but a welcome switch up from the usual cooking content on YouTube. The videos are extremely well-edited and are perfect easy-viewing content for anyone looking for a fun series to watch every week.
7. Cooking Tree
Last but not least is the beautifully simple Cooking Tree channel. Cooking Tree is perfect for anyone who enjoys the sounds of cooking and a beautiful background. This channel primarily features desserts and cafe beverages with simple instructions guiding viewers through the onscreen demonstration. As someone who enjoys baking, Cooking Tree has been a great source of inspiration and I always recommend this channel for anyone who enjoys baking and similar ASMR cooking sound channels.
Over the years YouTube has accumulated an immense number of content creators, and there’s no shortage of awesome YouTube channels waiting for you to discover them. Whether you’re looking for a channel to help you amp up your cooking game, a step-by-step recipe guide or simply relaxing content to end the day, there is definitely a YouTube cooking channel for you.
